Saudi Arabia threw some money at the problem of terrorism by making a $100 million donation to the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Center.

“The Secretary General expresses his sincere gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Places King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia for his announcement today of a generous new financial contribution of $100 million for United Nations Counter Terrorism efforts,” Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s office said in a statement.

“The Secretary-General expresses his appreciation for the significant contribution the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is making under the wise leadership of the King to strengthen international peace and security, especially in the global fight against terrorism.”

The statement added that the “latest contribution will greatly strengthen the capacity of the United Nations to assist Member States through the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) and other relevant UN bodies in implementing the UN Global Counter Terrorism Strategy, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2006 (A/RES/60/288).”

King Abdullah said in a speech called on “all other nations to take part in support of this center to get rid of the forces of hatred, extremism and criminality as this is the inevitable duty for whoever sees that terrorism is a demolishing tool that aims at threatening the world security and peace.”

“This tremendous contribution reflects King Abdullah’s commitment and determination to enhance international cooperation to fighting terrorism,” Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Adel al-Jubeir said.

Secretary of State John Kerry said “we welcome and applaud” the donation.

“His Majesty’s generous donation, on the occasion of Eid al Fitr, demonstrates once again the Kingdom’s commitment to supporting multilateral institutions and strengthening international cooperation on counterterrorism,” Kerry said.

“With these funds, we hope that the UN Counterterrorism Implementation Task Force (UNCTITF), of which the Centre is a critical component, can intensify its work to provide countries with the long-term capacity building support they need to implement the UN Global Counterterrorism Strategy.”

Bridget Johnson is a veteran journalist whose news articles and opinion columns have run in dozens of news outlets across the globe. Bridget first came to Washington to be online editor at The Hill, where she wrote The World from The Hill column on foreign policy. Previously she was an opinion writer and editorial board member at the Rocky Mountain News and nation/world news columnist at the Los Angeles Daily News.
She is an NPR contributor and has contributed to USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, Politico and more, and has myriad television and radio credits as a commentator. Bridget is Washington Editor for PJ Media.